I love analyzing my native language, American English, and helping non-native speakers make sense of it. I've been doing this for fun with friends who speak English as a second language for nearly 30 years. I would like to first thank A.D., C.F. and E.A., and now P.G., for inspiring me to finally write this stuff down!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Knee-jerk reaction

A 'knee-jerk reaction' is the reaction you have to something without giving it much or any thought.

Example:
-Why did you swerve into the other lane of traffic?
-I had a knee-jerk reaction. I saw the deer and didn't want to hit it!